Still Life

Irt's been a beautiful 2 days here. We've had some nice sunshine and thankfully it's been a little warmer. It's such a change from grey damp and dreary.  A couple of visits to a garden centre and home with some spring flowers, (now all planted up in their pots) has cheered me up a bit!

I have also found some time to do a few more cards for the stash.
Some of them have been a bit of an experiment - some have turned out as a disaster but others have been OK.

I have a whole file of 'Inspiration' and this is my take on one of those cards I saved. 

I think I should have put some shading behind to make the design have a bit more depth but practice makes perfect (or in my case practice will make something passable - eventually!).
I used Hickory Smoke  and Pumice Stone for the background.

I die cut the 3 vases from watercolour card and coloured with Distress Inks.
I stamped the leaves (from a freebie set) on the front one and then used glossy accents over the vase. The other two were just left after painting. I used foam pads to stand the vases out from the background.

Although it doesn't show very well in the pic, the front one has a lovely glossy finish and really stands out.
The tiny branches are an old stamp from Chocolate Baroque (I think) and I used some Liquid Pearls to make tiny white berries.
Sentiment and vase dies are from MFT.

I have long been an admire of the awesome Birgit. I love her CAS but so detailed style and the way she combines different elements effortlessly. She has inspired me to keep trying with small watercolour backgrounds and add different elements to the focal point of the card. 
My 3 vases are not quite as good as Birgit's but it will do for me!
Sharing at -
Simply Create Too - Use Die Cuts
Creative with Stamps - CAS and Sentiment
Die Cut Divas - A/Goes
Allsorts - Square
Crafter's Castle - A/Goes

Hoping the sun is shining wherever you are - thanks for calling by and if you've left me a comment, thank you! x